1:35 Paint mask Bergepanzer 2A2 (TAKOM)

Masking set Bergepanzer 2A2 1:35 (SX-Art)

A set of masks for a model, not a kit and not paint. Masks for military equipment do two jobs during painting. The first is to keep clean the surfaces that are not to receive paint: the driver's vision blocks, the windows and the lenses of the optics, the lights and the searchlights. The second is a sharp, repeatable transition between shades on a multicolor camouflage scheme, where it is hard to hold the same shape of patch freehand on the left and the right side of the vehicle.

The real subject

The Bergepanzer 2 is a German tracked recovery vehicle built on the chassis of the Leopard 1 tank. It is not combat equipment but an engineer and rear-area asset: it has a powerful winch for pulling out bogged or damaged vehicles, a crane for changing powerpacks right in the field, and at the front a bracing spade, which braces the vehicle against the ground while it pulls. The 2A2 form matches a later Bundeswehr standard. Precisely because the vehicle works in mud and dust it is rewarding to weather, and all the more conspicuous on it is any paint that has crept where it should not have.

How to use the mask

Stick the masks onto a dried primer coat, before the actual scheme is painted. The surface has to be clean and free of dust. Lift the piece off with pointed tweezers, seat it and press the edges down carefully with a toothpick, as that is exactly where paint creeps under. Spray in thin coats and at a right angle, not at an angle under the edge of the mask. Take them off while the paint is only tacky; the lip tears on a hard coat. Wipe any adhesive residue away with alcohol on a cotton swab.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who are building the Bergepanzer 2A2 in 1:35 scale.
• Anyone interested in engineer and recovery equipment, not only in combat vehicles.
• Modelers painting with an airbrush who want sharp edges with no paint creeping under.
• Those who do not manage to cover the small vision blocks with tape.